Grant Wolfram is one of three players selected in the 18th round of the 2018 draft to play in the major leagues this year, and he’s the only graduate of Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan to ever be a big leaguer.
Wolfram, 28, is a 6-foot-7, 240-pound left-hander who’s 2-0 with a 7.82 ERA in 11 games. He was traded to the Orioles from Milwaukee for outfielder Daz Cameron on April 7th.
Last Saturday, he was the winning pitcher in the Orioles’ exciting 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Question: After playing in the minor leagues for so long, what’s it like to finally get to the majors?
Grant Wolfram: “It’s a lifelong dream, for sure. This last couple of days has been a dream come true, being able to play in Wrigley. Where I grew up, a lot of people were Cubs fans, either that or Tigers fans. It’s cool to come in here and pitch, and honestly get lucky enough to throw in that inning. We take the lead and I get a win. It’s been great.
“The biggest thing for me is I’ve always been a thinker, and I really want to be perfect in what I do. There’s no way to be perfect in everything you do, so I have been able to give myself a little bit of grace and take from each outing something, some of the good things and learn from it, and then just stack those on top of each other. Eventually, I’ll become a solid big league pitcher.
“I think trying to do that, staying on the positive side of things and not weigh down on some of the negatives or some of the things that I can do better. When I have a good outing, not sit on that, is big for me.”
Q: Even though you weren’t directly involved, how wild was the trade deadline for you?
Wolfram: “All those guys, [Andrew] Kittredge for one, just because I was around him in the bullpen and Seranthony [Domínguez] the way they went about their business was great for me to watch and learn from and ask them questions and lean on them if I had anything.
“It was great, the limited time I was able to do that. It’s a little weird because I’ve never been a part of that at the big league level, experienced all the moves like that.”
Q: Doesn’t the trading of all those guys create an opportunity for you?
Wolfram: “If they were all still here, I’d probably have to pitch my way up to get an opportunity. With them being gone, it is a great opportunity for me to throw at the big league level.”
Q: What’s your journey to the major leagues been like?
Wolfram: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve never given up. It has been difficult at times in terms of performance and doing well and not doing well, but you just wake up every day and you brush the bad ones off and just continue to get better and chasing that dream. That’s what I’ve done and I’m going to continue to do that at this level, too. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It’s been a blessing for me and my family.”
Q: How difficult was it to be in the minors?
Wolfram: “It’s difficult, but my perspective is I’m playing baseball for a living, and I get to do something that I love and enjoy. As difficult as it is, there’s other things that I could be doing in my life and I would prefer to play baseball. I’m going to hold on to that and do that. If I ever feel like I’m slowing down and not capable of getting outs, then when I know I’ll be done, but I’ve gotten better every single year as my career has progressed.”
Q: How hard were the living conditions?
Wolfram: “In terms of being a bullpen guy, a lot of us weren’t high picks, so you probably didn’t sign for a lot so you didn’t have a huge signing bonus. You just grind those seven years.
“The first couple of years, I was making $1,300 every two weeks. You make that only the six months of the season. You don’t make any money in the offseason. You don’t get paid for spring training. You get a stipend for some food money, meal money. Our first couple of years you had to pay for your own housing. A lot of guys were doing two-bedroom apartments and five guys were in an apartment and sleeping in the living room.”
Q: You’re a big guy. Staying with four other guys must have been hard. How long did that last?
Wolfram: “My parents were gracious enough to drive their fifth wheel camper to a campgrounds so I was able to stay in that. I did that in Hickory, North Carolina 2019 and 2021. It’s a pretty tall camper. It was actually a lot of fun. It sounds kind of weird.
“It was more of a luxurious camper. It had its own kitchen, a nice size bathroom. my own room, living room. It was nice. It wasn’t too bad. It beats sleeping in the middle of a living room with a curtain to make it a so-called room. I had a little bit of privacy.”
Q: What kind of offseason jobs did you have?
Wolfram: “I worked as a UPS package helper. I rode in the van. I was in Michigan. It was snowing and I was carrying 70-pound packages to the front doors of people’s homes during the holidays with a foot of snow on the ground. The driver realized I was a big strong guy, so he loaded me up and just hauled it to the front step. I did that for one offseason.
“I worked HVAC, so I was working with sheet metal on new built homes, digging holes. I’ve worked landscape. My dad has a landscaping company that I’ve worked for. I’ve put in irrigation systems. I’ve mowed lawns. I’ve worked in a wood shop for a little bit as well. I’ve messed around with odds and ends, make a little extra money in the offseason, just try to grind your way through to spring training.”
Q: What would you do if you weren’t playing baseball?
Wolfram: “I studied a little bit of finance in school. I got my business degree. Maybe something in finance or sales, medical sales or something like that. I know a lot of athletes have gone that avenue and it’s been good for them.”
Q: Your wife, Abigail, is a nurse practitioner and you have a 7-month-old son, Bowen. How hard is it to see enough of them during the season?
Wolfram: “She’s much smarter than I am. She has the brains, for sure. They travel with me because she works remote. It’s nice having family, being able to travel with me in this lifestyle because a lot of guys don’t get to see their family throughout the season. It’s just difficult.
“I’m fortunate enough that she’s willing to travel, with the baby. It’s been difficult at times, but it’s helped us grow and learn about each other. It’s like baseball, the minor leagues, you grind through it. Once you figure it out, it starts to get easier.”
Note: The Orioles activated right-hander Rico Garcia, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets on Monday and optioned reliever Elvin Rodríguez to Triple-A Norfolk.
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